


Tales of Rose and Juleka: Ladybug & Cat Noir

by PhinFerbFan5



Series: Miraculous: Tales of Rose and Juleka [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Chat Noir Juleka Couffaine, F/F, F/M, Kwami Swap, Ladybug Rose Lavillant, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:20:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23577547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhinFerbFan5/pseuds/PhinFerbFan5
Summary: When a world of magic and evil descends on Paris, best friends Rose and Juleka become the city's new superhero duo, unbeknownst to each other. But even though Ladybug and Cat Noir both answer the call for heroism, are they ready to hit the ground running?
Relationships: Ivan Bruel/Mylène Haprèle, Juleka Couffaine/Rose Lavillant
Series: Miraculous: Tales of Rose and Juleka [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1700569
Comments: 11
Kudos: 24





	1. Juleka and Rose

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, this is just Origins but with Rose as Ladybug and Juleka as Cat Noir. Sue me, I just want more Julerose in my life. (Please don't sue me)

Juleka never especially liked the first day of school. It meant the end of the break. It meant homework. It meant dealing with other people. She always felt like she wasn’t what everyone else was looking for. But she found herself looking forward to today. Because this year, it meant Rose.

Last year she’d fatefully sat next to the girl. She was cheery and polite like most people when trying to make a new friend. Most people got less cheery and more awkward as time went on, most likely due to Juleka’s inability to hold a conversation. She either juggled what to reply with until it was too awkward to bring the point back up, or she just had nothing to say. But Rose didn’t stop being cheery, and it was rare for her to stop talking sometimes. It took a short adjustment period for Rose to figure out Juleka was just a quiet person. Given the chance, Juleka definitely showed she wished to be friends. Eventually they’d gotten used to each other. Rose stopped talking when it looked like Juleka wanted to say something, and Juleka started to speak up more. She didn’t have that many people she considered friends, so by halfway through the year it was unquestionable to Juleka that Rose was her best friend. She’d only come to like spending time with Rose even more by the end of the year. Even with all the things she wasn’t a fan of, it was worth starting school to see Rose every day again.

Juleka was brought out of her thoughts by some erratic movements at the corner of her vision. She looked up and found Rose jumping up and down to try and grab her attention. They were still more than a block away from each other, which was the only reason she hadn’t shouted out Juleka’s name already. Juleka hid her smile behind her bangs and raised her hand to signal she’d seen her.

Rose liked the first day of school. This wasn’t new. It wasn’t necessarily even because this day was particularly special in any way; she tried to look on the bright side of most days. This day did have its pluses though. It meant learning new things. It meant meeting new friends. It meant meeting everyone who was already her friend again, which she liked to think included just about everyone already. She’d greet anyone with a big smile, but of course there were some people she was closer to than others. And despite Juleka’s quiet and withdrawn nature, Rose had become very close with her. There was a good handful of people she’d casually call her best friends and she’d nearly always respond in kind to anyone who referred to her as a bff, but she found herself spending most of her time around Juleka. She’d really liked the girl she’d gotten to know last year. Juleka usually had an insightful thought to share and always seemed willing to listen to whatever Rose felt like ranting about. So today was just that bit better than most, because it meant seeing Juleka.

Rose slammed into Juleka and embraced her in a hug, “Hi Juleka!”

“Hey Rose.” Juleka replied.

The rest of the walk to school had Rose recounting the last few days of break. Nothing special had happened, but it was unlikely Juleka would have heard about it if it had because Rose somehow got caught up talking about what most people would say are ‘everyday things’. But Juleka thought Rose made them sound like they were the reason she got up that day, and now they were the reason Juleka got up too. Juleka kept her responses and interjections short, not only because she didn’t have anything she wanted to say, but because she wanted to get back to listening to Rose speak. Her voice was like music and her words pointed out all the beautiful things in the world.

“Oh my!” Rose shouted suddenly. Juleka looked over to notice they’d made it to the gates of school. There was an old man before them that had evidently fallen down. Rose was already by his side by the time Juleka was able to take it all in. Juleka noticed the man’s cane a short distance away and quickly grabbed it before heading back to the old man.

“Thank you. Both of you.” The man said as he stood again with his cane.

“No problem!” Rose reassured cheerily.

“Those that help others, will find help in return. There should be much for you two to look forward to today." The man cryptically told them, “More than you could ever know.”

“Really? I can’t wait!” Rose replied sweetly before the three parted ways.

Juleka glanced back at the old man. A rather fancy looking car passing by the school caught her attention for a moment. She soon forgot about it as it held no real significance.

“What a nice man.” Rose remembered fondly. “What?” she asked after catching Juleka’s cynical glance.

“We didn’t really get to know him.” Juleka noted.

“But he said thank you and that something good was going to happen today.” Rose reminded her of all the man’s nice deeds.

“How can we look forward to something that we also couldn’t know?” Juleka asked.

“That’s what makes it exciting!” Rose looked up at her, “What do you think the unknowable thing we’re looking forward to today is?”

Juleka rolled her eyes. She was not convinced anything special would happen today.

“Something will happen today.” Rose vehemently stated.

Juleka smiled shyly at Rose catching her doubt. It was a testament to how well they got along that it sometimes felt like Rose could read her mind. It was probably also true that she’d learnt to be a bit more expressive and open with Rose. It felt nice being that close to someone, but there were definitely some thoughts she hoped Rose hadn’t picked up on. Like how Rose somehow became even cuter when she was willing to fight to the death. Juleka sighed and nodded her agreement with Rose. Thinking about it, Rose would find something to be happy about today. That was inevitable. She knew Rose would come up with something by the end of the day. And Juleka supposed that there was no way to know what Rose would decide made the day retroactively look-forward-worth, and that she was looking forward to listening to whatever Rose came up with. So maybe there was something to this prophecy. “I’m looking forward to something.” She announced.

Rose’s face instantly lit up with interest, “What?”

“I’m in the same homeroom as you again this year.” Juleka noted. She couldn’t quite bring herself to look at Rose while she said it. _Which means we’ll be sitting together every day of school._ Juleka thought.

Rose giggle excitedly at spending time with Juleka and at Juleka being sentimental. Juleka had started to open up to talking about ‘sappy feelings’, though she really only said things like that when only Rose was around. “So, you were planning to sit with me again?”

For a second Juleka was filled with absolute terror. She had not even considered the possibility of not sitting next to her. But Rose’s continued giggles were enough to cool Juleka down to the point she realized it never really was a possibility. “Yes.” She still vehemently answered. She guessed she’d found something she was willing to fight to the death for too.

Rose always found her adorable when she got like that.

They sat together at the back. Juleka preferred the back, less people notice you. Rose would have been happy anywhere, so she sat with her best friend. They greeted Nathaniel, who was also up the back. One of the few other’s Juleka considered a friend. He was rather quiet too, so the two had an understanding for each other. She knew most of the class, but only ended up hanging out with them because Rose did. Rose was friends with everyone. Well, Rose wouldn’t admit it without prompting, but there was one person who wasn’t friends with her.

Juleka and Rose both sighed as Chloe came in and instantly started a fight with Marinette. _Couldn’t they get a minute into the year without fighting?_ It really wasn’t fair, but that was Chloe. Juleka had no wish to get involved, she didn’t know what she would do even if she did have the will. Rose had tried to intervene in the past, but that hadn’t ended well. The same could probably be said for everyone else in class. It never seemed to do any good, so most students tolerated Chloe or ignored her as much as her ego allowed. So, it was a bit of a surprise for someone to stand up for Marinette. _I don’t recognize her; she must be new._ Juleka didn’t really pay attention to the scuffle. It looked like Chloe won whatever small thing she counted as a victory, but at least it was over.

Mme Bustier arrived and soon homeroom was over. Juleka was to head to the library and Rose was headed to the stadium. It seemed almost cruel to Juleka that they were so close for so short a time before being immediately separated. She was shaken from her thoughts by more shouting, this time from Ivan at Kim. _Is there going to be this much drama all year?_ Juleka wondered as she slipped round to the door. Mme Bustier stopped Ivan before things got too heated and sent him to the principal’s office.

“I wish they wouldn’t fight, but it’s not fair Ivan got sent to the principle.” Mylene complained as everyone moved towards their first classes.

“Oh yeah, that was definitely all Kim’s fault.” Alix agreed, “What was on that note he wrote anyway?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t have time to read it all. Something about not being brave.” Rose added.

“That’s silly. Who’s more brave than Ivan?” Mylene got uncharacteristically worked up.

“Yeah. What could scare him? He’s so big he could stop a tank.” Alix commented as they reached the lockers.

“Hopefully he’ll just get a stern talking to and not get any punishment.” Offered Rose, “It’s the first day of school after all.” After grabbing all her stuff, Rose gave Juleka another hug before Juleka knew what was happening. “Bye Juleka.” She said as she went off with Alix to the stadium.

Juleka waved weakly and wordlessly followed Mylene towards the library. She felt like she should have said something, but words didn’t seem to want to come. If Mylene hadn’t been there to mindlessly follow to the library, she’d probably would’ve gotten lost. She dedicated most of her brain to trying to remember how it felt when Rose had hugged her goodbye. She didn’t remember choosing a seat, but she eventually found herself sitting in the library. She felt like she was supposed to be doing something, but all her thoughts were full of Rose smiling at her. Juleka had been thinking a lot about Rose recently, she had thought she might be able to chalk it up to wanting desperately to see her again at school. But she’d seen her again now, and she still couldn’t stop thinking about her. There was a lot to think about. Her smile. Her eyes. Her laugh. She was the most adorable, beautiful, and kind person in the world, who never failed to light up Juleka’s day. Her hugs were what she lived for. Juleka’s head hit the table in hopelessness. She’d known she was more attracted to girls than boys, just one more thing she couldn’t relate to when girls tried to start a conversation with her. _Guess I’m going to have to accept I have a crush._

She also found herself having to accept that the entire school was shaking like an earthquake. There was already a crowd at the security monitors by the time she’d regained her senses and her feet. Most screens showed uninteresting corridors, but one screen was showing a high definition monster movie on it, that was set out the front of a familiar looking school. Nothing about what she was looking at made any sense. But every step the monster took on the screen was led a fraction of a second earlier by a very real bang coming from the courtyard.

“Kim!” the monster yelled.

Juleka stared at the display more intently, _Wait, did that sound like.._

“Ivan?” questioned Marinette.

“Wow. It’s like he’s transformed into a supervillain!” the new kid theorized, “That means a superhero might show up. I’ve got to check this out!”

“Alya, wait.” Tried Marinette.

Juleka was impressed by Alya’s passion and bravery. She herself thought this was about the coolest thing ever to happen, but she wasn’t about to run right towards the rampaging monster that was crushing everything in its way. Soon Mme Bustier announced that everyone should head home if safe to do so. Juleka left with everyone else, her home was within walking distance. At least she hoped it was; her mum had said she’d keep it in the same place for the school year. And who could fault her mother for being inconsistent when the fundamental laws of nature were taking the day off.


	2. Cat Noir and Ladybug

Most people thought of a house when they said home, Juleka’s home was a boat. The Liberty was indeed where it was supposed to be. It hadn’t berthed at a new port recently, but you never knew when it’s captain would change things up on a whim. Juleka made her way onboard and navigated what most families would consider a messy floor. Captain Anarka, her mother, wasn’t onboard. There was honestly no telling where she’d be at any given moment. Juleka went down to her room and threw her bag on her bed. Her brother Luka wasn’t home either. She thought about calling them and grabbed her phone from her bag, but it was a roll of the dice if they ever picked up. They could both be busy, or just as easily be distracted. They’d call her if something needed to be communicated and there wasn’t much she could tell them that would be helpful. She supposed she couldn’t complain, she could be easily distracted too. At the moment her head was still filled with thoughts and questions about the creature. _Or is it Ivan? Should I check on Ivan to make sure?_ She looked down at her phone but didn’t send Ivan a message either. She’d never really talked to him before, so it felt awkward to send a message now. Someone he actually knew had probably already checked anyway. Juleka put the phone back, but as she did, she saw a small hexagonal box in her bag. _Where’d this come from?_ after a moment examining it, she opened it to check inside.

For a split second she looked down on a black ring, but then a bright ball of light rose from it and faded into a small black floating cat thing. Juleka had taken a few steps back but was now moving slowly forward with wide curious eyes.

The creature yawned. “Hey, how’s it going. Names Plagg. Nice to meet you.” Plagg lazily greeted, “So you got any food here?” Plagg started flying around the room inspecting everything he came across and trying to bite it.

Juleka could only continue to stare at him, “What are you?”

“I’m a kwami.” Plagg answered without stopping or turning around. He glanced out a window, “Are we on a boat?”

Juleka could only say “Uh.. yeah.” while she still tried to process what she was looking at.

“You’re gonna need to get back to Paris.” Plagg told her with very little urgency in his tone. He threw a cup of hairclips across her desk, “No, not food.”

“We are in Paris. This is my home. What’s a Kwami?” Juleka attempted to engage Plagg.

“A magical being connected to a miraculous.” Plagg answered quickly as he seemed to be exploring the dusty world under Juleka’s bed.

“And that is?” Juleka followed up.

“Bleh!” Plagg spat out a dust bunny as he zoomed out from under her bed, “Something else magical. Yours is that ring. Can I eat this?” Plagg started chewing on a pen.

“No.” Juleka snatched the pen away.

“It’s impossible to tell what’s food these days.” Plagg excused, as he flew off to another region of her room.

“There’s no food here.” Juleka told him. She tried to track him until her eyes landed on the box again.

“You never know.” Plagg argued.

“This is my miraculous?” Juleka checked as she tentatively lifted up the ring from the box with two fingers.

“Yeah. The Cat miraculous. You have the power of destruction.” Plagg elaborated with disinterest, “Now find me some food.”

“Cat?” Juleka repeated, checking out the paw print on the ring.

“Yeah.” Plagg confirmed in a board tone as he continued his hunt.

“I hate cats.” Juleka commented, mostly to herself.

Plagg stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Juleka. It was the first time he actually looked directly at her.

Juleka looked up from the ring and stared back, her eyes still filled with curiosity.

“Juleka…” Plagg addressed her.

Juleka blinked, waiting for him to continue.

“Your name’s Juleka right?” Plagg checked.

Juleka stared back at him for a few seconds while she processed the question, “Yeah.”

“Hmmm.” Plagg narrowed his eyes and stared at her in silence.

“What can this miraculous do?” Juleka changed topics, holding up the ring.

“Transform you into a superhero.” Plagg explained, “A cat superhero.” He underlined.

“A superhero?” Juleka looked back at the small ring. Today was full of impossible things.

“Yeah. You’re gonna have to deal with Hawkmoth’s Akumas. Specifically, Stoneheart.” Plagg started explaining as he started drifting again. But he didn’t seem to be searching for food anymore; just checking out the surroundings.

“You mean that thing that broke out of school? Is it really Ivan?” Juleka asked urgently.

“Yeah. I don’t know. Probably.” Plagg answered with what was becoming his trademark apathy, “Hawkmoth needs someone with strong emotions to give powers to.”

“Did you say I had the power of destruction?” Juleka checked. She was a bit grateful that his disinterest had slowed down the rate of information she needed to take in.

“Yeah. You just say Cataclysm and you destroy the next thing you touch with your hand.” Plagg answered.

“Like a real cat?” Juleka gave a small smirk as she looked over the ring again.

Plagg stopped and gave her a suspicious side look, “Yes.” He finally answered.

Juleka looked back at him. _I suppose he might be more friendly if I feed him_ she reasoned. “So… do you eat trash like a real cat?” Juleka inquired.

“Real cats don’t eat trash! And I in particular have a very sensitive pallet.” Plagg huffed, arms crossed.

“…fish?” Juleka tried.

“No way! I’ve had enough fish for a lifetime.” Plagg rejected the thought.

“…So do I just cataclysm Stoneheart?” Juleka returned to other issues.

“No. You just need to destroy the akumatised object. That will release the akuma and break Hawkmoth’s control.” Plagg explained.

“Hawkmoth’s the bad guy?” Juleka clarified.

“Yep.” Plagg nodded his head.

Juleka placed the ring on her finger, “How do I become a superhero?”

“You say Claws out.” Plagg said while he pushed over some books on her desk.

“And that turns me into a cat?” Juleka looked suspiciously down at the ring.

“It’s a costume.” Plagg reassured as he rolled his eyes, “And you’re definitely going to have to get over this cat thing. You’re the cat of Paris now.” Plagg’s eyes shone with mischief.

“Can I take off the costume?” Juleka felt she needed to check.

“I’m getting there. You say Claws in. You also detransform five minutes after performing your special ability, Cataclysm. And you can only use it once. Also, you can’t reveal your identity to anyone.” Plagg ticked off a few things in his head, “That includes showing me to anyone. Keeps you and your close ones safe. It prevents your friends from getting jealous of me too.”

 _Friends?_ “Rose.” Suddenly, Juleka realised she’d forgotten all about her best friend. It must have been the first time in maybe weeks she hadn’t thought about Rose for more than an hour. Although a small achievement, it wouldn’t have mattered that much to her if there wasn’t a monster terrorizing Paris.

“No, I don’t eat flowers either.” Plagg disillusioned.

_I didn’t check up on her after that thing… an akuma destroyed the school! That’s what a best friend should have done! Get a grip Juleka. Rose wasn’t at the school. She was safe at the sports stadium. What are the chances the akuma, ..Ivan, would go there…_

“Hey wait up!” Plagg cried as Juleka rushed out the door.

Juleka moved a box and turned on a tv that was on the floor. The news showed live footage of Stoneheart plodding down a familiar road.

“Oh good. You already know where he is.” Plagg observed.

Juleka felt sick. Everything fell into place. Ivan had been angry at Kim. Ivan was akumatised into Stoneheart. Stoneheart had cried Kim’s name. Stoneheart was after Kim. Kim was at the sports stadium. Stoneheart was heading towards the sports stadium. Rose was at the stadium. Rose was directly in the way of Stoneheart’s rampage. The lax nature of Plagg and her own disbelief had subdued a lot of her sense of urgency. But the full gravity of the situation was crashing down on her. Lives were on the line. Rose was on the line. And she was the one responsible for saving them all. She felt the room start to close in on her _How many people have already been hurt? How do I even stop something like that? Why me? Why was I even chosen for this?_ “I’m the only one who can protect those people?”

“You get a partner.” Plagg informed her, as if this was obvious.

Juleka found it a bit easier to breath.

“They’ll have the Ladybug miraculous.” Plagg continued.

That made Juleka pause, _I can see how a cat of destruction could help but…_ “A bug? What power do they have?”

“It’s the miraculous of creation, their power is Lucky Charm, they’ve got this yoyo thing, red and black suit. Can’t miss them.” Plagg described her partner.

Juleka scanned the tv. She noticed someone riding after Stoneheart on the edge of the screen. _Is that that new girl from class? She wasn’t kidding about following Stoneheart. At least he hasn’t noticed her. But no Ladybug superhero._ “Well I don’t see them now. And I won’t be able to get there before he makes it to the stadium.” Juleka started to feel the pressure again.

“You can by using your baton.” Plagg told her.

 _My… baton? A short cylinder thing?_ “…How?” Juleka asked, very confused.

“It extends. You can push yourself.” Plagg explained simply, “Now either go defeat this guy or find me some decent food in this mess.”

Juleka took a deep breath and looked down at her ring, “Let’s go.”

Plagg let out a small groan like she’d chosen the wrong option, “Well you better feed me after. I can’t transform you on an empty stomach.”

Juleka did a quick mental check to make sure that this was what she wanted to do and then said, “Claws out.”

Plagg was sucked into the ring. Juleka could instantly feel it. She didn’t know what it was, but she could feel it. It quickly spread throughout her body. Her face seemed to light up. Touching her hand to her face, she discovered a mask was now there. The feeling went up threw her hair, and as her hands followed, she found two ears on the top of her head. She looked down and watched as a black suit grew from her chest and up her arms to cover her hands in black gloves. She glanced downward once more and found black pants and boots. With a final flash a belt appeared that trailed onto the floor like a tail. Just moving her arms around felt new and different. It was her arms, but there was untapped power there also. Juleka also realized that everything looked different. It took her longer than she cared to admit to realise she wasn’t looking through her bangs and that her hair flowed straight down her back. At the feeling of being exposed she instinctively dropped her head a bit. But her hair didn’t seem to want to fall in front of her face anymore. “Plagg?” she tried. But there was no response. It was a bit daunting that she could no longer talk to the only person who seemed to know what was going on. But it didn’t seem like he liked her anyway so maybe it was for the best. She’d probably need to concentrate as a superhero.

Juleka edged onto the deck. She looked down and saw her baton stuck to her back. She also noticed her hair was completely black. “I better not have to dye this again.” She muttered to herself. She grabbed the baton and it came away from her back as if nothing was holding it. She moved it back onto her back and tentatively let go. It stayed on her back through no visible means. “Magic.” Juleka tried the word. She grabbed her baton again. _Plagg said it could extend?_ As if reacting to her thoughts, the baton extended to about her height. “Ok.” Juleka said to herself. _Let’s go save Rose._ Juleka placed the end of the staff on the deck and willed it to extend. She shot into the sky.

Rose’s heart pounded as she ran. She knew she wasn’t far ahead. She couldn’t afford to look behind her. She could only run away. She could hardly breath as sweat covered her face. She didn’t care, she couldn’t care. She just had to keep running faster than what followed. She was nearly safe. But it wasn’t good enough. A blur crossed her vision and she knew it was over. She fell to the ground defeated as her opponent towered over her.

“What was that Rose? You almost beat me.” Mused Alix.

Rose was still catching her breath but smiled up at her.

“You can be real scary when you get into something.” Alix shook her head.

“Oh, you finally finished.” Kim walked up.

“You finished like five seconds ago.” Alix shot back.

“Doesn’t matter, the important part is that I won.” Kim gloated.

“The only reason you won was because you were running scared.” Alix goaded.

“Oh yeah? I dare you to a rematch then.” Kim smirked, “Right now.”

“No way. I want everyone to see you lose.” Alix told him.

“You’ll never beat me. Even if you used those rollerskates of yours.” Kim claimed.

“Please. That would make it too easy.” Alix chuckled.

Rose grunted as she sat up.

“Hey, you’re still alive.” Alix looked round and helped Rose to her feet.

Rose had got enough breath back for a light chuckle. “I need some water.”

“Oh, don’t think you can step away from this. This isn’t over.” Kim declared.

“Believe me. I can’t wait.” Alix shot back as she helped Rose head towards the change rooms.

“I’m ok.” Rose let her know, “You can go back to Kim if you want.”

“Nah. Frankly, I’m pretty beat after that run. It took all I had to beat you.” Alix admitted. “When did you get super powers?”

“You told me to put everything I had into the race.” Rose reminded her with a raspy voice.

“Yeah, but I wasn’t expecting you to put your last breath into it.” Alix laughed, “You all good now?”

“Yeah.” Rose replied brightly, “Thanks!” Alix let her go and Rose made it into the changeroom.

She grabbed a water bottle from her locker and drunk deeply. Upon placing it back she found a hexagonal box in her locker. _Has someone put it in my locker by mistake?_ Rose opened it to check what it was. It held a pair of beautiful red and black earrings. But Rose didn’t have time to gasp or admire as a bright ball of light suddenly appeared. And she barely had time to gasp at that before it gave way to a small red creature. It opened its big eyes and looked back at Rose. Rose froze as she covered her mouth with her hands and emitted a shrill unending squeal.

“Hello.” The creature reached out in an attempt to calm her.

“You’re the cutest thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life!!” Rose finally put into words.

It descended into giggles, “Thank you. I could say the same thing about you.”

“I need to get the others!” Rose happily turned to the door.

But with a flash of red the small creature whizzed around her and held up a hand to stop her, “No, wait Rose. No one else can see me or know that you have the Ladybug Miraculous. Your identity must remain a secret.”

Rose stared back at her for a second before asking the question she realized she should have asked first, “Who are you?”

“I’m Tikki.” She replied “The kwami of creation.”

“Wow.” Rose gasped.

“You have been called upon to help stop Stoneheart.” Tikki told her.

“Who?” Rose asked.

“An akuma that has just been created. To defeat him you must become a superhero. These earrings are your miraculous and will grant you incredible powers.” Tikki gestured to the earring still in Rose’s hand.

“Really? Do I wear them?” Rose checked excitedly.

“Yes.” Tikki nodded.

“Oh wow!” Rose exclaimed as she put them on, “How do I look?”

“Perfect.” Tikki complimented.

“Thank you.” Rose twirled around, “How do I transform into a superhero?”

“To transform you just say spots on.” Tikki instructed, “As a superhero…”

“Spots on!” Rose shouted.

“No, wait..” Tikki tried as she was sucked into the earrings.

Rose felt a rush of power flow through her. She soon found herself covered in a red superhero costume with black spots. Rose checked out her uniform and found a round object on her hip, just above where her costume flowed into a mini skirt. “What’s this Tikki?” she picked it up and examined it. It had a string wrapped around it that Rose easily pulled out. “Oh, it’s a yoyo? How cute.” It was at that moment Rose realized Tikki was no longer answering. “Tikki?” There was no answer. “Oh. Ok. So… I just need to defeat… uh, Stoneheart. Yeah. And save people. Because I’m a superhero now.” Rose set her jaw and snuck out of the changerooms while no one was looking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've never been into fashion that much, (which may prove inconvenient later on given Juleka's interests) so I started with the assumption that I was just going to use the same costumes from the show. Though I started searching for images to see if anyone else had come up with this idea and found this [cute picture](https://www.instagiz.com/post/1763190529698610995_5622386829) and fell in love with Rose's cute outfit, so I'm basically using that one. (I like to think I'm answering yes to the question next to the pic) I believe the original image is [here](https://www.instagram.com/p/BOGZz4OgKdC/). Of course Juleka's outfit is nice too, but on practicality grounds I'd prefer a suit that protects all her skin. Conveniently I found another [cute image](https://catitamewraculer.tumblr.com/image/155402697299) of the two with more traditional uniforms. So if you like, Rose has the costume from the first image and Juleka from the second. Of course, full credit to their creators and anyone who can draw even a simple picture as it is an art form far outside my current skill set.


	3. Stoneheart

Juleka crouched on her position on a roof. _This is bad._ Stoneheart was huge, and seemingly unstoppable. She’d waited for him to speak again to try and confirm it was Ivan but Stoneheart hadn’t found a need to speak. He just walked through any blockade the police put up. _How am I supposed to defeat him? Every time the police throw something at him, he just gets bigger._ Juleka felt her doubts creep up on her again. Stoneheart walked out of sight again, he was only a few blocks from the stadium now. The police had distracted him from his assumed goal with their blockades, but more through goading him into pursuing them instead of them pursuing him. She pushed her staff into the ground and launched towards the next roof. But instead of landing on a roof, she smashed into something and fell to the street below.

“Ow.” She voiced. Falling three stories had hurt, but it was her head on collision that hurt the most.

“Oh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t see you there. I’m still getting used to this.” Came an apology from a red figure who got up from beside her.

Juleka looked up at her, _Yoyo, red and black costume, was flying through the air._ Juleka held her head till it stopped throbbing so much, _Plagg was right: I didn’t miss her._ Juleka moved to get up and found a hand outstretched to help. “Uh… Are you… Ladybug…?” she tried to articulate while she was helped up.

“Ladybug?” the superhero seemed confused.

“Your miraculous.” Juleka expanded.

The red hero blushed a bit and modestly looked away, “Oh, thank you.”

“No. You have the ladybug miraculous.” Juleka fully explained.

“Oh!” she realised, passing her hands over her earrings, “Do you know who I am?”

“Uh, not really.” Juleka admitted.

“Well I’m… oh, I guess I can’t tell you that. But I can tell you I’m a superhero!” Rose placed her hands on her hips, “So… don’t be afraid. Wait… Are you a superhero too?” her face lit up.

“Uh, yeah. I guess so.” Juleka shrugged.

“Oh wow! You’re beautiful! That explains the costume and why you were flying through the air.” Rose realised.

Juleka blushed, _Wait, did she say I was…_

“Are there other superheroes?” Rose asked.

“N…” Juleka paused. _Yesterday I thought there were zero. That’s actually a good question. Though Plagg only mentioned my partner._ “…I think it’s only us two.” Juleka replied.

“This is going to be better than I imagined! I get a partner!” Rose jumped with excitement. But suddenly she calmed herself and turned serious, “Now… we need to defeat… Stoneheart… I think.”

“Yeah. He’s a few blocks that way heading for the stadium.” Juleka pointed.

“Oh, the stadium? … I must have missed him. Shall we?” Rose offered as she launched herself into the sky.

“…Sure.” Juleka hesitated before following, still unsure how they could fight something like that.

“He’s huge!” Rose gasped looking down on Stoneheart as he slowly plodded up to the stadium, “And made of stone.”

“Mm.” Juleka agreed. While he wasn’t putting anyone’s life in danger, she admitted to herself that the whole monster movie vibe was rather cool, to say nothing of being a superhero. Though she tried to ignore the part where she had to do something for the moment.

“Well if his name was right about him being made of stone, that means he also has a heart!” reasoned Rose.

“I don’t think that’s what his name tells us.” Juleka diplomatically disagreed.

“How do we defeat him?” Rose casually asked.

Juleka froze, the responsibility was back on her, “…Uh… We break the akumatised object.” She remembered.

“What’s an akuma?” Rose asked.

“Uh… What Hawkmoth uses to create… him.” Juleka gestured to Stoneheart, “Or was it… what he is?”

“Ok. Who’s Hawkmoth?” Rose asked.

“… didn’t your kwami mention them?” checked Juleka.

“No…? I… oh.” Rose’s face fell a bit, “I might have transformed before she finished speaking. I was so excited to get superpowers and I didn’t realise she’d stop talking.” Rose admitted.

They both snapped back to Stoneheart who had lunged to the lip of the stadium faster than they thought he could. “Kim!” he cried.

“What? Kim?” Rose looked to Juleka with worry.

This confirmed what Juleka thought, “Stoneheart… is a student called Ivan. He’s after the student Kim at the stadium.”

“Ivan.” Rose squeaked as she looked back at Stoneheart with shock.

Stoneheart jumped from the rim to the middle of the field, “Who’s the coward now!” he cried at Kim who was paralysed on the ground as his classmates ran away. He pulled back his fist and threw it forward, ready to punch Kim into the ground. But as his arm moved forward a yoyo wrapped around it, pulling him temporarily off balance. Kim took the opportunity to leg it.

“Stop! You can’t hurt anyone here.” Rose defiantly told him.

“You can’t stop me!” he responded as he pulled his arm away from her.

She quickly untied her yoyo from it or she risked being pulled over as well. “They’re your friends.”

“I don’t think so.” Stoneheart responded simply before rushing towards her incredibly fast. With a smooth back arm, he launched her to the edge of the field.

“Are you ok?” Juleka asked as she landed next to where Rose’s body had smashed into the ground and rushed to her side.

Rose sat up as Juleka approached, “yeah… I’m fine.” She told her with a bit of surprise and confusion herself. She took Juleka’s hand and got to her feet. She spun her yoyo and got into a battle stance, raring to get back into the fight. “So, what’s the plan?”

“…Why do you think I have a plan?” Juleka looked over at her uncertainly.

“Because you look like you know what you’re doing.” Stated Rose with a kind smile.

“No. No I don’t. I don’t know what I’m doing.” Juleka quickly dismissed.

“You said we had to break the something object?” Rose prompted.

“Yeah, but I don’t know what or where that is. He’s just rocks.” Juleka could feel her anxiety start to close in on her again. She felt that it was only due to the fact that assumedly Rose had gotten away safely and that there was a proactive smiling superhero by her side, that she hadn’t had a full breakdown yet.

“So… maybe it’s one of those rocks. Or a glowing eye… I don’t know. Will he turn back if we hit him with our magic things?” Rose suggested.

“No. Any physical attacks on his body make him larger.” Juleka told her.

“…Oh.” Rose stopped spinning her yoyo before smiling back at her, “See. You’re really smart.”

“I just saw it happen.” Juleka mumbled.

“I guess we have to use… The power of love!!” Rose announced while she held a heroic pose. Before Juleka could form an opinion, Rose jumped back towards Stoneheart. “Ivan!” she called.

“I’m no longer Ivan. I am Stoneheart!” Stoneheart corrected.

“Ok. Stoneheart. Stop your attack on Kim. That’s… not a nice thing to do.” Rose started weakly.

“I need revenge!” Stoneheart informed her.

“I don’t think you do.” Rose challenged. “I think… you just need a hug. And… what if someone was after you. You wouldn’t like that. You shouldn’t hurt others.”

“I don’t care!” Stoneheart attacked and smacked Rose back again.

This time Juleka caught Rose before she hit the ground. They both lightly blushed as Juleka dropped her on her feet. “worth a shot..” Juleka shrugged.

“Thanks. But if love doesn’t work, what does?” Rose deflated.

“I guess, we’re supposed to use our powers.” Juleka suggested. She felt really stupid for forgetting about them. But she wasn’t filled with hope either as the only thing she wanted to destroy was the akumatised object, and that was still a mystery.

“Right.” Rose nodded, ready for action again. But she soon lowered her fists and looked back at Juleka, “Uh… what powers?”

“Our special powers. Mine is the power to destroy anything I touch.” Juleka looked down at her ring.

Rose looked with fear at her own hands, “Oh… I.. I don’t have that do I?”

“No, you have Lucky Charm.” Juleka regurgitated what she knew.

“What does that do?” Rose asked with a small sigh of relief.

“I don’t know. Makes you lucky or something. I didn’t ask about it.” Said Juleka.

“I’m going to try it.” Rose told her.

“Sure. My kwami said to just say it.” Juleka Instructed. _Anything is worth a try._

“Lucky Charm!” Rose cried throwing her yoyo into the air. It pulsed magical energy. With a flash, a black spotted red teapot appeared above Rose. She instinctively dodged backwards as it fell to the ground in front of her. “…a teapot?”

Juleka looked at it with equal confusion. “Is it broken?”

“No, it landed on a soft patch.” Rose investigated the teapot.

“I meant the power.” Juleka clarified.

As Rose looked over the teapot a series of loud beeps filled her ears. “Ah! What was that?”

“That’s your miraculous saying you have five minutes till you detransform. Cause you used your power.” Juleka explained.

“I only have five minutes to figure out what this means?” Rose asked as she picked up her teapot.

“Yep.” Juleka looked over at Stoneheart. He had realised they weren’t going to continually jump at him until they were defeated and so had started to make his way over towards them. “…Should I try my power?” She still didn’t know what she’d do with it. But what else could they do.

Rose let out a huge gasp. “His ackroomertised object is in his closed hand!” she declared as she hugged the teapot.

“What? The teapot told you that?” Juleka asked her in disbelief. _Though it being in his closed hand makes sense now that I think about it._

“Yes!” Rose beamed at her tea pot, “Cause where do you serve tea? At a tea party. And the hardest part of a tea party is getting the stuffed animals to hold onto the cups. Like at a pretend tea party, not an actual one. So how would you get this guy to hold a cup? You’d have to open his hand. Why isn’t his hand already open to grab a teacup? Because he’s holding something else. His akumatised object!”

Juleka raised an eyebrow. _It makes less sense now._ “… Is that how Lucky Charm works?”

“I don’t know. I guess.” Rose shrugged, flashing her a smile.

Juleka smiled to herself, _That’s going to have to be good enough for me. I didn’t have any problems with her conjuring a teapot out of thin air._ Stoneheart was getting close. “So, how do we get his hand open?”

Rose put on her thinking face, “We… could make him open it if he wanted to carry something. But only if his other hand is full. …He wants to capture us. Uh… would it be alright if he grabbed you?” she gave her a sheepish smile.

Juleka looked back at her with a blank expression, “… Sure.” Stoneheart roared at her as she stepped forward to meet him. “Good to see you’ve finally got here.”

“Are you too scared to fight?” Stoneheart goaded.

“Yeah.” Juleka shrugged, “Bet you can’t catch me.” She rolled to her right and made to run past Stoneheart. Sooner than she thought it would, a solid rock hand closed around her and squeezed the air out of her lungs. “Guess you… won that bet.” She struggled to breathe.

“Hey!” called out Rose. They both looked at her. “Do you want some tea?” she asked, holding the teapot out.

Stoneheart glanced at Juleka and then back at Rose. Juleka shifted to a position where she could at least speak more easily.

“Is that a… no?” Rose guessed, “Are you sure?”

Stoneheart started towards her.

“Ok. Take that then!” Rose slashed with the teapot and sprayed Stoneheart with its contents.

Stoneheart shouted as it splashed across his face. He reflexively opened his hand to wipe his face.

“Does it actually have tea in it?” Juleka asked in surprise.

“No, I just filled it with water. I didn’t have time to make tea, sorry. Though maybe that’s better off as you’re not covered in boiling tea at this point.” Rose apologised.

Stoneheart roared as he cleared his face enough to not care. It was possible he hadn’t needed to wipe his face at all, being a pile of rocks.

“Quick. The item.” Juleka reminded Rose.

“Right. This it?” Rose held up a small purple rock.

Stoneheart swiped at her. Rose dodged but dropped the rock.

“I’d say so.” Confirmed Juleka, “Break it!”

Rose got up and ran to the rock, but before she could pick it up Stoneheart lunged at her. His fist smashed into the ground, the sound echoing around the stadium.

“Hey!.. uh. Super.. bug.” Juleka called from her hand prison, “Are you alright?”

Rose peaked around one side of the boulder fist, “Yeah. I’m fine.” She squeaked.

Stoneheart was another story. His eyes had stopped glowing and his body started falling apart. Large sections of rocks simply vanished. His fist disappeared to reveal a small cracked rock under it. Juleka fell to the ground and took a gulp of air. A purple butterfly flew out of the rock and into the sky.

“What a beautiful butterfly!” Rose swooned.

It wasn’t lost on Juleka that this was the creature that had caused all this trouble, but she still took a moment to admire its beauty, just like her best friend would do. Suddenly a rush of realisation hit her. “We did it.”

Rose looked back at her and she squealed with delight. “We did it!” She looked down at the object in her hands, “Do I just have a teapot now?”

“I don’t know.” Juleka said as she walked towards her.

“I’ll ask my kwami about it. …Along with everything else.” Rose giggled sheepishly.

“You won the day regardless.” Juleka pointed out.

“We won! We make a great team.” Rose smiled at her.

Juleka half returned the smile but felt a pang of guilt strike her. _I hardly did anything. Now she knows the basics, I may as well not be here._

“What’s this?” Rose glanced down at the ground. Where the purple rock had been, there was a crumpled piece of paper. Rose picked it up and opened it. “Oh, it’s the note Kim gave Ivan. Awww! He has a crush on Mylene. Is this what caused all this trouble?”

They both looked up at the sound of a grunt. As the last rocks dissolved into air, Ivan was left sitting on the ground. “What’s going on?” he asked. He looked around with blurry eyes.

“Hi Ivan.” Rose smiled kindly, “Do you remember anything?”

“No? Where am I?” he continued looking confused.

“Do you remember this?” Rose handed him the piece of paper.

“Kim’s message?” Ivan’s face lit up with recognition and fear, “You didn’t read it did you?”

“Uh… yeah.” Rose admitted.

Ivan’s face flashed red with embarrassment.

“It’s ok Ivan.” Rose put a hand on his shoulder in reassurance. It made Juleka realise that while Ivan was sitting, they were about the same height. “Love is nothing to be ashamed of. It’s adorable actually. I know it can be scary, but if you tell Mylene how you feel, you’ll live happily ever after. You won’t regret it.”

“Uh. Maybe.” Ivan muttered.

Juleka smirked, it was impossible not to smile at the incredible optimism and pure resolve this girl showed.

“Who are you again?” Ivan asked.

“Yes! Who are you?” Alya made them all jump. They turned to see her filming them on her phone.

“Oh… uh… who am I?” Rose fumbled, “…Ladybug …You called me Ladybug before.”

“I didn’t.” Juleka quietly dismissed, but she liked the name.

“So you’re a real life superhero! What are your powers? What happened to this kid? Who’s behind it?” Alya seemed too excited to wait for an answer.

“Uh… I…” started Ladybug, but then her earring beeped loudly. “Oh! Sorry. I’m about to detransform. I need to keep my identity secret. Maybe next time.”

“So you’ll be defending Paris from now on?” Alya checked.

“I… I guess. Yes.” Nodded Ladybug, “Uh. At least that’s what I’d like to do. So.. bye!” She waved and ran off, still carrying a teapot with her. She swung her yoyo and flew out of the stadium.

“Awesome!” Alya sounded like she might faint.

“Ladybug.” Juleka voiced to herself, seeing how it sounded.

“You’re a superhero too! What’s your name?” Alya swiveled to Juleka.

“Uh.. uh…” Juleka suddenly forgot how to speak. While Ladybug was there, she seemed to naturally attract the spotlight. Up until then Juleka had nearly forgotten that Alya could actually see her. _Wait! How long has she been filming?_

“What’s your superpowers? Can we expect more monsters? Were you bitten by a radioactive cat?” Alya asked her.

“Uh…” Juleka had not yet regained the power of speech. Her mind couldn’t even warp around what she was being asked. Alya’s waiting glare was like a tonne of rocks pushing down on her chest, and Juleka now knew what that actually felt like.

Alya noticed she was having a bit of trouble, “Start with your name.”

Juleka grasped that notion. _A superhero name. Like Ladybug. But for me. Maybe I’ll name it after my miraculous._ “I’m… Cat?” _No. There is no way I’m going to be called Cat._ “Cat… Cat Noir?”

“I like it.” Alya encouraged, “Have you every fought a supervillain before?”

 _She’s not going to stop. I’m going to die in this stadium._ Cat Noir realised, _How’d Ladybug get out of this?_ She looked down at her ring which hadn’t been used. “I… Uh…” Cat Noir turned around and saw Ivan looking down at the cruel message. She grabbed it from him, rationalising it as for his own good, and said “Cataclysm.” For a moment the air around her hand went black, then the piece of paper seemed to turn a rusty gray, before disintegrating into nothing. Relief flooded Cat Noir at the sound of a shrill alarm starting the unstoppable countdown to her deepest secret being revealed to the entire world. “I uh.. Have to go.” She said as she showed Alya her ring. Then she turned and ran.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Going off Reflektdoll (Won't that be a fun episode to parody, if I ever get there), the lucky charm tailors itself to the holder and how they think. So I'll be changing what Rose gets and trying to come up with my own way for them to defeat akumas.
> 
> Also, yeah, apart from a bit of a confidence boost, Rose and Juleka are essentially the same, personality wise, as superheroes. So how they don't figure eachother's identities out after spending copious amounts of time with eachother everyday in both forms is anyone's guess.


	4. Debrief

Rose jumped around the stadium and found a back entrance. She snuck into an unused locker room with a few seconds left. But a few seconds feel a lot longer when you’re excited. Rose checked how her skirt swayed as she twirled and then practicing some heroic poses before a flash of red released her from her costume. “Tikki! That was the best!”

Although she looked more tired, Tikki giggled happily, “I’m glad you’re taking a liking to being a superhero.”

“Yes. It’s incredible!” Rose sighed, “And we fought a.. an, akuma. And we defeated it.”

“Congratulations.” Offered Tikki.

“And there was a cat superhero there. And I got this teapot.” Rose held it up.

“Your lucky Charm? You know you can use the creation energy in that to restore any damage caused in your fight.” Tikki pointed out.

“Really? How?” Rose asked.

“You say Miraculous Ladybug, and it helps to throw it in the air.” Tikki explained.

“Miraculous Ladybug!” Rose shouted immediately.

“Wait!” tried Tikki. But Rose had already thrown it into the air. It shattered on the ceiling and red shards fell to the floor. Rose was startled but unharmed. “… You have to be Ladybug.” Tikki finished.

“Oh…” Rose acknowledged. “Tikki? Spots…”

“No! Rose wait.” Tikki quickly put a stop to Rose’s plans.

“Yes?...” Rose deflated a bit.

“We can’t transform until I’ve recharged by eating some food.” Tikki explained calmly.

“Sorry.” Apologized Rose.

“That’s ok.” Tikki forgave and affectionately touched Rose’s cheek.

“I think I might have gotten a bit too excited.” Rose admitted.

Tikki laughed, “A bit.”

Rose stopped and thought for a bit, “If you’re hungry, what food did you want?”

“I have enjoyed sweet things, like cookies.” Tikki recalled.

Rose gasped loudly, “I know!” with that she dashed out of the locker room.

Tikki finally caught up to her when they reached the locker room Rose’s class had been using. “What do you know, Rose?” inquired Tikki.

“What food to get you.” Rose slightly explained as she grabbed her bag. She noted everyone else’s stuff was gone. _Everyone else got out alright._ The realization just made her more jubilant.

“What do you have in mind?” Tikki pushed.

“I need to take you to Marinette’s bakery!” Rose revealed as she ran to the exit, “She’s in my class and her family has the best bakery. You’ll love it. Lots of delicious things.”

“Rose.” Tikki tried to slow her.

“Yeah?” asked Rose as she burst out the exit. Tikki stopped and sighed. She waited patiently for half a minute.

Rose opened the door again and came back in with a sheepish grin, “Sorry. What is it Tikki?”

“It’s just that I can’t show myself to other people. I need to be a secret.” Tikki explained.

“Oh no!” Rose cried, “You can’t come? Will you be stuck in this stadium forever?”

“I can hide in your bag.” Tikki suggested.

“Oh.” Rose settled down, “Yes. That’ll work.” She opened her bag and Tikki flew in and ducked her head out. Rose took a breath and slowed down a bit, “So… Uh. Tikki?”

“Yes Rose?” Tikki smiled at her.

“Maybe, on the way there, you could say all those things I didn’t stop to listen too?” Rose smiled guiltily.

Tikki giggled again, “Sure thing Rose. I’d love too.”

“Claws off.” Juleka said, and her costume disappeared on command. There was still no one else home. _It had been busy on the roads I jumped over. They’ll get home soon now there’s no akuma tearing up town._

Plagg let out a sigh as he sunk onto Juleka’s bed. “So, you did it?” he checked.

“Yeah. Ivan’s fine.” Juleka summed up, “So… are we going to go take down Hawkmoth?”

“Sure. If you know where they are and how to take them down.” Plagg answered unhelpfully.

“How do we do that?” Juleka had a suspicion this conversation would be pointless.

“No idea.” Plagg answered as he made himself comfortable on her pillow, “Hawkmoth can use their akumas to cause havoc while they stay hidden. If Hawkmoth plays it safe it might take years to catch them.”

Juleka let out a defeated sigh, _I guess I have nothing to do until Hawkmoth makes another akuma._ Juleka looked back at the kwami, “… You want food?”

“See I knew we’d get along.” Plagg replied.

“Hello!” Rose cheerily greeted as she entered Tom and Sabine’s bakery.

“Hello. Rose isn’t it?” Tom greeted from the counter. The shop was otherwise empty.

“Yep.” Rose confirmed.

“Are you in Marinette’s class this…” Tom started.

“Rose!” Marinette interrupted as she burst through the back door, “Are you ok?”

“Yes. I’m fine Marinette.” Rose hugged her in welcome.

“You were at the stadium, weren’t you?” Marinette checked.

“Yeah. Is everyone ok at school?” checked Rose.

“Yes. No one was hurt there.” Marinette reported, “Did you see Ladybug and Cat Noir?”

“Cat Noir? Uh… yes.” Rose nodded.

“Wow. Real superheroes.” Marinette said in awe.

“I know! It’s so fun! Did you say Cat Noir? Is that her name?” Rose asked.

“Yeah. It’s what she came up with before she left.” Marinette recounted.

“Oh, she’s incredible. I don’t know what I’d do without her.” Rose swooned.

“Did she save you?” Marinette asked.

Rose opened her mouth and froze for a few seconds. “… Yes.” She decided to answer.

Marinette took a quick glance around the shop to check if anyone else was there, “Are you walking home by yourself?” she checked with a bit of concern.

“Yeah.” Rose answered simply, “But I’ll be fine. Stoneheart has been defeated. There’s nothing to worry about now.”

Marinette exchanged a glance with her father, “You haven’t seen the news?”

“No new statues have been found, so it seems whatever caused them has stopped for now.” Reported Nadja while she stood in front of a Stoneheart lookalike. People had been turned to stone statues all over town. But they not only looked the part, they were also motionless. Paris had already seen what one of them could do, and now there was a silent army of them, seemingly waiting for something.

“Oh no!” Rose exclaimed at Marinette’s tv. Marinette and her family had just left to start closing up the store. It was then Rose’s phone rang. Tikki slid out of her bag as she grabbed her phone. “Juleka!” Rose responded, still a bit shaken by the news.

“Rose! Are you ok? I’m sorry I didn’t check on you before.” Juleka said.

“I’m fine Juleka. Are you ok too?” Rose wondered.

“Of course I am, Rose. I… I wasn’t anywhere near the… the stadium.” Juleka fumbled nervously.

“That’s good.” Rose relaxed.

“Yeah. Sounds like everyone’s ok except some police officers.” Juleka commented.

“I don’t know.” Rose replied as she looked back at the news, “I think something went wrong.”

“What do you mean?” Juleka asked.

“I thought Stoneheart was defeated but there’s other rock creatures everywhere now.” Rose told her.

“Other rock creatures?” Juleka gasped.

“It’s on the news. I…” Rose glanced at Tikki, “I need to go now. Ok?”

“…yeah. Ok. Bye.” Juleka farewelled.

“Bye.” Rose hung up.

“What’s going on?” Juleka asked Plagg.

“Did you purify the akuma?” Plagg checked.

“How do I do that?” Juleka asked as she turned on the tv.

“No. You can’t do it. Ladybug’s the only one who can purify akumas.” Plagg informed.

“Oh.” Juleka’s face fell.

“So, she didn’t do it.” Plagg gathered.

“No.” admitted Juleka, “She… transformed before her kwami explained.”

“Well it’s Tikki’s problem now. Guess we’ll just wait till Ladybug fixes everything.” Plagg got more comfortable.

“…yeah.” Juleka sighed. She could do more than she ever thought imaginable, but she somehow felt more useless than ever before too.

“What’s going on?” Rose asked Tikki.

“Did you purify the akuma?” Tikki checked.

“What does purify mean?” Rose asked quietly.

“You release the akuma from Hawkmoth’s power, so that it can not influence it’s victim. An unpurified akuma can multiply which can akumatise more victims until it’s caught.” Tikki explained.

“Oh no! This is all my fault.” Rose held her head in her hands.

“Don’t despair Rose.” Tikki tried to encourage, “Your first battle may not have gone perfectly, but we can still fix this.”

“Really?” Rose looked up at her.

“Yes.” Tikki nodded.

Rose clenched her fists in resolution, “Yeah! We can. I’ll start purifying akumas right away!”

“Wait Rose.” Cautioned Tikki, “If you go around purifying the many akuma copies, the akuma can just make more. It would be best to wait till we find the main akuma. Hawkmoth will try to reakumatise Ivan with it again before too long.”

Rose let out her breath and drooped a bit, “Ok… I’m not very good at being Ladybug, am I. Are… Are you sure you picked the right person?”

“This was your first time Rose. Everyone needs time to learn the ropes.” Tikki supported.

“Thanks, Tikki. So… I can stay a superhero?” Rose voiced her fears.

“Of course.” Tikki cheerfully informed, “That is not for me to decide. I can offer you my advice but only you can relinquish your miraculous.”

“I don’t want to. I love being a superhero.” Rose quickly told her, “I get to do incredible things and help lots of people. I just… hope I don’t let them down.”

“You won’t.” Tikki gained a serious expression, “If I may offer my advice, I believe that keeping your miraculous is the right decision. Skills can be learned, and experience gained, what is important is your heart. And you have an especially large one Rose. I’m certain you’ll be a great Ladybug.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so the tale begins. I will be continuing with Stoneheart next. Hope you liked it so far, especially if you're looking for some Rose and Juleka stories. They're probably my second and third favourite characters in the show, I can't decide who I like more.
> 
> Kudos to [Powers of Invisibility](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7094683) for making me fall in love with these characters even more and encouraging me to write my own story. And also for being the greatest fanfic I’ve ever read. I haven’t read a fanfic that long before or since, but it was so well written and utterly adorable that I just couldn’t stop reading. So much to say about that work, but this isn’t a review. I haven’t consciously tried to copy anything from them but I wouldn’t be surprised if some elements, my portrayal of Juleka specifically, has been influenced by it.
> 
> Plot wise I was partially inspired by the [Scarlet Lady web comic](https://zoe-oneesama.tumblr.com/scarlet-lady-index), with the whole reimagining with a different hero shtick. A really incredible and hilarious comic that I enjoy more than the show itself. Which isn’t saying as much as I want it to, 'cause to be brutally honest, I’ve never had more conflicting feelings for a show than I do for Miraculous Ladybug. Nearly every aspect of this show I’d care to talk about has things I love and things I hate. Except Rose and Juleka of course, they’re adorable and I love any moment they’re on the screen, except of course when… no. Don’t get me started. I’m not here for hate, I’m here for love and fluff, and maybe a little drama.
> 
> After coming up with this I’ve been thinking about parodying all the other episodes too. I’ve come up with some sweet, dramatic, and hopefully fun plots, but we’ll see how far I get as I’m abysmally slow at writing things.


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